Chapter Head Serial ・ Lovesickness VII ・ Blush All Over
In the Kuja Palace's sleeping quarters, gasps and panting filled the air. Beneath the thin covers of the grand bed, a pair of exaggeratedly long legs twisted and writhed, a silhouette moving with seductive grace. Hancock's black hair was loose, flailing wildly with her movements. She raised an arm to cover her eyes. Beads of fragrant sweat slid down her high-bridged nose, streaming over her blushing cheeks, tracing the line of her fine jaw and slender neck before disappearing into her collarbones. Her half-unbuttoned shirt revealed skin as pale as jade, blooming with patches of pink flush like scattered peach blossoms. Her heaving chest lifted the thin blanket, trembling with each rare, fragile gasp…
In a haze, Hancock recalled the day she parted from those two.
…
Because of her bashful heart, Robin walked a few steps ahead.
The resort island was bustling beyond comparison, more vibrant than any island she and Liam had previously visited. After all, Robin was still a blossoming young girl just over fifteen years old; she couldn't help but feel a giddy excitement, eager to explore.
"You know..." She smiled lightly and turned her head, only to suddenly realize Liam hadn't caught up.
Puzzled, she looked back and saw Liam trailing slowly behind, seemingly conversing with empty air beside him.
Even without using Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), Robin could tell Liam was talking to his Stand, B.I.B.
"What's wrong?" she walked back and asked.
Liam replied, "Seems like there's a bit of a problem."
With a calm mind, Robin activated her Kenbunshoku Haki. In her eyes, the black battle armor of B.I.B. appeared beside Liam. Compared to usual, there wasn't any obvious change.
Liam and B.I.B. exchanged a look.
Back to a moment earlier
B.I.B. was holding the chip of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, its narrow eyes glowing faint white as it stared intently at its user.
Liam frowned. "What's wrong?"
B.I.B. remained silent, simply gazing at Liam.
Liam spoke seriously: "If you've got something to say, just fart it out already. You don't even have eyeballs, don't tell me you really think I can understand your damn expression?"
"Something's off about you." the black armor finally said.
"Me?" Liam was taken aback.
"I can't describe it precisely… It's just a feeling…" the Stand slowly explained. "It's like… something else has entered your body…"
Back to the present
"Something else has entered your body?"
Robin and Liam walked side-by-side down the bustling, modern resort street.
Robin knew Liam's Stand ability allowed it to fully replicate his memories and powers. Because of this, B.I.B., as a separate "other self" that could constantly compare with a memory-perfect version of Liam, had a uniquely precise view of Liam's physical state.
Liam grumbled, "Idiot can't even articulate properly."
Robin looked at him with concern.
"Whatever, I'll just reabsorb him and see for myself," Liam said.
Once he reabsorbed the Stand, Liam would instantly receive all of B.I.B.'s experiences and memories from when it was active. Since B.I.B. couldn't clearly describe what it sensed, just "a feeling", Liam had no choice but to experience it firsthand.
B.I.B. nodded, placed the Magnet-Magnet Fruit chip back into the reactor in its chest, and transformed into a wisp of black smoke, flowing back into Liam's body.
Robin clutched Liam's arm.
After B.I.B. returned, Liam's thick, muscular arm pressed lightly against Robin's side. A subtle tremor and rhythm could clearly be felt.
Robin hugged him tighter.
"It's only been out for a moment, no big deal," Liam said from above her head.
Robin still clung to his arm, though she loosened her grip a bit, raising her hand to ask: "Well? How is it?"
Liam frowned, savoring B.I.B.'s brief memory, then gradually relaxed his brow. "Yeah… it does feel like something stayed behind in my body. But…"
"What's so hard to describe? It's just… some specks of dust, isn't it?"
"Given how crowded this resort island is, it's understandable that the air quality isn't great…"
Robin shook her head with a soft laugh.
Liam once again released his dark, shadowy Stand from within his body.
Since his main body had already made a judgment, this time B.I.B. didn't waste words and directly returned the Magnet-Magnet Fruit chip into Liam's body.
"Go sign up," Robin let go of his arm and smiled. "I think today's the deadline."
"Isn't that a bit too convenient? Guess my luck's not bad…"
Liam walked alongside her, carefully scanning the surrounding air, apparently planning to research the local PM2.5 level together with his good bro, B.I.B. He also noticed that here and there, scattered among the bustling crowds, were some gazes cast in their direction, cautious, curious, hostile, or guarded.
Still, anyone who couldn't even see B.I.B. was at most small fry. Liam didn't pay them any mind.
He caught up with Robin and added, "Let's also grab you a few outfits while we're at it."
"Clothes?" Robin looked up, smiling curiously.
Liam considered. "Something loose-fitting. Flowing robes, wide sleeves, that kind of thing... clothes loose enough that even if I hid inside, no one would notice…"
Robin chuckled. "Why would you hide in my clothes, wait…"
As soon as their eyes met, she got it. Blushing slightly, she murmured, "That was just an improvised tactic I thought of during a sword strike, that's all…"
"Yeah, and wasn't it super effective?" Liam said as he led her into a large roadside fashion mall. "Creating a partial clone of me to wear like armor… In crowded situations where it's hard for you to go all-out, it compensates for lack of firepower pretty well, don't you think?"
Robin's face turned a bit pink. "I don't know… it feels a bit inappropriate."
Led by a stylish blonde salesgirl, they were guided to a section filled with long, wide-sleeved garments.
"What's inappropriate about it?" Liam grinned. "It's no different from using B.I.B. to assist you, right?"
Robin opened her mouth, but how was that the same?
B.I.B. was a battle-armor-like Stand made of energy. Without Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), Robin could barely feel its presence.
But when using his Hana-Hana powers to create a physical partial clone of Liam, pressed flush against her skin, that tactile sensation was very real.
More importantly, every one of those sensations was fully fed back to Liam's main body...
Robin busied herself picking through loose robes, then suddenly looked up, and saw that Liam's lips were curled up in a knowing smirk.
"You really were pretending to play dumb, weren't you…"
"Ababa," Liam feigned innocence, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Robin exhaled a laugh and, letting it go, began confidently picking out her favorite styles.
"Let's call this tactic... 'Fuzzy Armor', how about that?"
By the time they left the store, Robin had changed into a stylish wide-sleeved robe. She and Liam were now both wearing similarly styled sunglasses.
Aside from that, they appeared empty-handed; their shopping bags had all been stuffed into the green Den Den Mushi belly of Robin's single-shoulder bag.
"Might as well just call it 'Golden Experience'…"
Robin shook her head. She wasn't really that into armor-type stuff.
The two strolled along the busy street, planning to ask around for the exact registration location for the arena competition.
At that moment, a somewhat familiar voice called out nearby:
"Giorno, is that you?"
Robin turned toward the voice beside Liam and recognized it was that blue-skinned, chubby Fish-Man.
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/marvel6395
PS-"For every 200 power stones, I'll release one bonus chapter (Current-4)!"